No injuries and minor damage as fishing vessel and bulk carrier collide off West Sussex

HM Coastguard has been coordinating the response after a fishing vessel collided with a bulk tanker about 25 nautical miles off Selsey Bill.

The incident happened just after 3am today (12 Feb) and the HM Coastguard helicopter from Lee-on-Solent and RNLI lifeboat from Selsey were both sent.

There are six crew on board the fishing vessel and 20 on the tanker. There are no reported injuries and all are accounted for.

Damage is superficial to the tanker which has now continued on its way and there is only minor damage to the fishing vessel. There are no reports of pollution and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s duty counter pollution team have been called as a precaution.

Andrew Follows, senior maritime operations officer with HM Coastguard said: “We’re so thankful that this was a relatively minor collision and that no one has been injured.

“We sent the helicopter for safety overwatch while the lifeboat arrived. The RNLI lifeboat is staying with the fishing vessel until they and we are certain it can make its own way back to port.”

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has also been told.



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